


Soldier Dreams

by Enide_Dear



Category: Compilation of Final Fantasy VII
Genre: M/M, it must be an attack, poor sephy doesn't understand human biology, why does he keep having upsetting dreams?
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-06-25
Updated: 2020-08-26
Packaged: 2021-03-04 05:46:44
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 4,287
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24908599
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Enide_Dear/pseuds/Enide_Dear
Summary: Sephiroth can't sleep; a certain trooper keeps disturbing his dreams. Perhaps the blonde is a wutai spy sent to undermine his sanity?
Relationships: Sephiroth/Cloud Strife
Comments: 19
Kudos: 180





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Idea by Sheneya at Tumblr!

Genesis threw a dumbapple at the approximate speed of light and Sephiroth caught it without looking away from his prey. He carefully lowered the fruit onto the cantinas sticky tabletop and recrossed his arms. 

“What?!” Annoyed at the lack of reaction, Genesis waved his hand in front of unblinking mako eyes. “You have been glaring at that poor trooper for fifteen minutes. What is wrong with him?!”

“You are scaring him, Seph. Snap out of it.” Angeal added, throwing a glance over his shoulder at the poor trooper who was wilting under the laser stare. “What has he done to you?”

“That is no mere trooper.” Somehow the low voice cut through the cantinas din even though the general hadn’t raised his voice. “He is a fiend.”

“Him?” Genesis frowned, making the trooper sweat even more under the now double stare of ShinRas most famous generals. “He is just a trooper. What could he possibly do to you?”

“Isn’t that Zack’s friend, by the way? Cloud?” Now Angeal turned around as well and the trooper looked like he wanted to crawl under the table. “He is a nice boy, Seph. he hasn’t done anything to you. You’ve even met him a couple of times, remember? Zack brought him over.”

“He has access to strange materia. I think he may be a Wutai spy sent to infiltrate and undermine my mental health.” Sephiroth still hadn’t blinked. It had been almost twenty minutes. 

Angeal and Genesis exchanged glances. Mako had a number of side effects, paranoia being one of them and they’d all felt it at times. But the step from believing ShinRa kept vital secrets from them to believing a trooper was a master Wutai spy was a bit too far even for them. 

“Do you have any proof?” Angeal asked. After all, this was Sephiroth. Only cold hard logical evidence would sway him, not pointing out the ridiculousness of the situation. 

“He disturbs my sleep patterns, causing me to toss and turn at night, not getting a moment's rest. He invades my dreams and causes unwanted emotional and physical reactions.”

“Hmf.” Genesis thought about it. Sleep was a known materia after all; why wouldn’t there be one called Wake? “How long has this been going on?” If true, then it was serious. They might not need as much sleep as non-enhanced humans, but they still needed it. 

“Close to a month. Almost every night.” Sephiroth rose up, and the whole cantina fell quiet and even Genesis and Angeal felt the threat radiating from the sleep deprived general. He didn’t need to draw Masamune to be able to kill them all but right now the center of that horribly intense scrutiny was the poor trooper whose eyes got huge as the leather apriation bore down on him. 

“Seph, no!” Angeal screamed and Genesis was already up, drawing his sword to try to save the troopers life, but it was too late. 

Sephiroth had grabbed Cloud by his trooper suspenders and hoisted him effortlessly up in the air, to come eye to eye with the general. 

“You,” Sephiroth hisses in the deadly quiet of the room. “Why do you keep invading my dreams, naked?!”

There was a moment of absolute stillness when everything hung by a thread and then mako reactions saved them all. Genesis threw a fireball which exploded harmlessly but caused a ruckus at the same time as Angeal hit the fire alarm. In the absolute chaos that followed the evacuation, the two Super Soldiers hoped everyone would forget what they had heard. 

Left in the empty cantina and oblivious to everything else, Sephiroth shook the trooper whose face was almost as red as Genesis coat. 

“How are you doing it?! You are not giving me a moments peace! You keep appearing naked in my mind, doing the *strangest* things and I can’t take it anymore! What is it you want?!”

Genesis sat down heavy on a bench, groaning. Angeal sighed and hid his face in his hand. 

“It is your turn to tell him about the birds and the bees this time,” the red head muttered. “I had to tell him about shoe sizes last time.”

“I had to explain when he was upset over seeing people pressing their ‘mouth holes’ together!” Angeal protested.

“Or you know, we could just leave them to figure it out for themselves.” Genesis waved at the troopers pants, which were suspiciously tenting. “I don’t think he’d mind.”

“Sephy might kill him by mistake.” Angeal sighed again and straightened his shoulders. “We’d better do the honourable thing.”

“The honourable thing would be to kill Hojo and just start all over,” Genesis muttered but got to his feet as well. 

It was time to give ShinRas murder machine another lesson in basic biology, emotions and, akwardly, wet dreams.


	2. Soldier Troubles

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Three First Class Super Soldiers and their puppy are sent to hold a crumbling fortress in Wutai with their army. Things go from bad to worse once they inspect their supplies.

"Well, we are here. And it is every bit as cold and dirty and depressing as I imagined it to be. Yes, the troops have arrived as well. Yes, all four of us are alright. No, we haven't had time to assert the situation yet, but I'm positive we'll be able to hold this crumbling piece of shit so laughingly called a castle for as long as it takes. Sir. Roger and out." Genesis slammed the radio off so hard it almost broke. "What?!" He added testily to the three Soldiers watching him with some amusement.

"That was the worse mission report I've ever heard." Sephiroth shook his head.

"Well, excuse me for not looking forward to spending a month in the middle of Wutai-fucking-nowhere guarding a mountain pass with you miserable lot and a horde of unwashed troopers!"

"You really are not a morning person, are you?" Zack grinned but Angeal's hand on his shoulder pulled him back.

"Leave him be, puppy." He warned as Genesis eyes flashed dangerously.

"Being dropped off from a chopper at four o clock is not morning, it is a punishment. I don't mind going up early but there better be an international crisis for me to do so." Getting up from the chair, Genesis tossed the radio on the table where it would have shattered if Angeal hadn't caught it on time.

"You mean like having to shave your legs?" Zack quipped. Mornings never bothered him, and neither did late nights, the middle of day or any other time. Not when there were potential adventure and heroism waiting.

"Not all of us feel the need to go up an hour earlier than everyone else and molest the vacuum cleaner." Genesis said scalding, pleased to see the puppy blush all the way to his roots.

"That was a mistake!" The youngster stammered, trying to explain to the curious cat-green glances.

"Once is a mistake, puppy." Angeal said wearily and started herding the scabbling heroes out of the communication center. There were work to be done, after all.

"No, I mean I was trying to get lint of my trousers!"

"Really? Then why were you calling the vacuum cleaner Aerith?"

Whine as they may, the four Soldier quickly had work sorted out between them; Sephiroth took responsibility of inspecting the crumbling walls and guard posts outside, Genesis took charge over weapon and supplies storage and Zack followed Angeal on a quick inspection of their available troops.

"It looks as well as can be expected." Sephiroth shrugged as he met up with Angeal and Zack in the room they decided to use as command center. "Which is to say awful, but we can hold it. How about the troops?"

"Awful as well, but they will have to do. It is not as if Wutai has anything left to throw at us that we can't handle." Angeal looked around. "We should wait for Gen to report before we lay up any strategic plans…."

The door was kicked open and Genesis walked in, looking unusually pale faced and grim. Even his morning grumpiness was gone in exchange for dread.

"Gentlemen – and you, Zack – we have a problem." Thin lips pressed together tight. "It is about our food supplies."

"There isn't enough?" Angeal said worried.

"We have to resort to cannibalism?" Zack stared wide-eyed. "In that case I vote for us eating Angeal first; he's the healthiest and biggest and I'm not eating anyone from the trooper's barracks. They all smell like feet."

That earned him a small smile from Sephiroth and a kick off the chair by Angeal, but Genesis just shook his head, still serious.

"You have to come with me to see."

"I fail to see the problem." Sephiroth frowned. "These larders seem well-stocked. We can feed the troops and ourselves for half a year on this."

"Look again, you dolt." Genesis gritted his teeth as he waved at the huge larder. "Not at the quantity, but at the quality this time."

"Mostly cans and root vegetables," Angeal shrugged. "It is not fancy, but it will keep us strong enough."

Genesis rubbed his temples.

"Alright, but I'm telling you this – I'm taking the room at the top of the tower. Alone."

That made all three Soldiers turn at him with quiet gasps of disbelief. Genesis being a vain spoiled drama queen they were used to. Genesis insisting on sleeping alone was something beyond the realm of believable. A bit more rattled, they turned back to the pantry and really *looked*.

Bakes beans. Cabbage. Onions. Garlic. Dried prunes and other dried fruits.

"O-oh." Angeal blanched a little. Sephiroth got red around the ears.

"Those poor troopers." He muttered.

"What? What? I don't get it." Zack looked around bewildered, searching for clues.

"This is…this is very….*gassy* food, puppy." Angeal tried to explain. "And with four Soldier appetites and metabolisms…."

Zack blinked.

"Oh crap." He breathed.

"Not to mention farts." Sephiroth sighed. "We might as well send the troops home. In two days no Wutai troop will get through this pass without a gasmask anyway."

"This is…utterly humiliating!" Genesis pouted angrily. "What do they expect us to do? Hold a competition as to who can fart the ShinRa anthem first?"

"Oh come on, Gen!" Zack grinned. "You always did like tooting your own horn, right?"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If ShinRa sent in Cid Highwind there, all it would take is one cig to blow the whole thing sky high.


	3. Chapter 3

It was a very excited Sephiroth that came running into the office Angeal and Genesis shared, cradling something that glowed faintly in his cupped hands.

"Look at this!" He shoved his hand underneath Genesis nose. "I've had my first nasal orgasm!"

"Goddess, Seph!" Genesis spluttered and recoiled disgusted. "I don't want to look at your snot!"

Perplexed, Sephiroth frowned at him.

"Why not? You always want a close up view when I…"

"That is different!" Genesis stared repulsed at the glowing mako residue in the war hero's hand. "What is wrong with you?!"

*Wrong question, Gen.* Angeal sighed and got between his two friends before the fight could start, handing the silver haired man a few tissues to clean himself up with.  
Then he frowned as a thought hit him.

"Wait…Sephiroth, did you just say you sneezed?" A chill of dread slid down his back.

"Yes. What of it?" The war hero still sulked a little over his friends' lack of enthusiasm.

"Oh no!" Genesis caught on, hurriedly backing away from Sephiroth. "You hab a cold? How is dat eved possible?"

"Why are you talking like that?" Sephiroth at least had the decency of turning away before he sneezed. 

Genesis stared in horror. Then he started coughing like his lunges were on fire.

Angeal backed away slowly and reached for this cell phone.

"Director? We have a problem…."

"I don't usually oppose orders, sir. But why me?" Angeal hoped he didn't sound as whiny as he felt but was pretty sure he failed.

"What options do we have?" Lazard spread his hands. "Whatever bug those two caught it was potent enough to send two of the strongest First Class Soldiers in the history of ShinRa to bed. We have to isolate them to make sure it won't spread to the public. Gods knows what it would do to civilians. And ShinRa's good name."

"I suppose so, sir." Angeal sighed. "And I have to take care of them because…." he let the words trail away.

"Again, we can't risk civilians." Lazard nodded. "I'll leave you to it then. I'll go get the Turks on trying to figure out where this came from. It might be an undercover attack."

"Yes, sir."

As the director left, Angeal heaved a sigh and felt his shoulders slump. In the huge bed that constituted most of Genesis' apartment, his two best friends lay cuddled down under heavy blankets, looking sweaty and miserable with runny red noses and shiny eyes. Every now and then one of them coughed so hard the bed rattled.

"I'll make you some hot tea with honey." He squared his shoulders, trying to work up some enthusiasm. He'd taken care of sick siblings before, when he was a child, and he hadn't liked it much then. He doubted he'd enjoy it more now.

"Great," a raspy voice from behind made him jump high. "Pour some booze in mine, yo."

"Reno?! What are you doing here?" Angeal stared as the red-head Turk wiped his nose on his sleeve and then started undressing, crawling into bed with the two Soldiers who were too sick to protest.

"Boss send me. Orders. Everyone found sick in ShinRa is to be isolated here. Fuck, my throat feels like a cheeze grater!" He started pulling at Sephiroth's blankets, realized the futility in it and settled for cozing up to the war hero who was snoring through a clogged nose. "How 'bout that booze?"

"Great idea." Genesis coughed. "Got some applebrandy in the cupboard. Use that."

"Alcohol won't help you recover!" Angeal growled.

"Yeah it does," Reno nodded. "Kills bacteria. That's why I always carry a bottle around. Got lots of internal damage needs tending to."

"It won't harm and at least it will make laying around here more fun." Genesis sneezed.

"No." Angeal turned and headed for the kitchen.

The tea was just distributed - with just a hint of brandy - when there were a knock on the door. Angeal's heart skipped a beat when he saw a miserable heap outside.

"'Geal?" Zack whined. "I don't feel so good."

"Come on, puppy." Zack was shivering when he lifted him up, and there were mako green stains on his clothes were he'd sneezed. Angeal helped him to undress and then watched as his puppy burrowed down under the blankets next to Reno. Sephiroth was once more awake and curled around his tea cup.

"You're hot." Zack mumbled as he crawled up next to the Turk, holding onto him like he was a teddy bear.

"I get that a lot." Reno coughed. "Why does my snot glow in the dark? I ain't even mako enhanced!"

"Is he warm?" Genesis shuffled up next to them. "Oh, dat is so good!"

"Yeah, I get that a lot to," Reno fell back onto the pillows, more or less buried between the two Soldiers.

Angeal had barely time to boil up some more water before his cell phone rang.

"Tseng?" He balanced the phone on his shoulder because his hands were busy with tea, brandy and more blankets. Why hadn't the mako given him something useful, like a third hand?

"Mr. Hewley. I think we have found the source of the infection." There was a small, annoyed sigh. "It's Hojo."

"Why am I not surprised?" He growled, tucking Sephiroth and stroking back Zack's sweaty hair from his face.

"Apparently he wanted to try out a new virus - withouth permission - and did so on Sephiroth two days ago. The good thing is, the virus is not lethal nor does it spread by air or normal contact." There was a small pause. "It does however spread by sexual contact."

"So that's why I have one of your Turks down here."

Another pause.

"Which one?"

"Who do you think?"

"Oh." Angeal could almost *hear* the smug Turk bastard smile. "Expect more company soon, then." And the phone clicked dead.

About two minutes later there were a faint scraping - audiable only for mako ears - at the door, and a dark shadow moved in. Rude managed to get off his tie and jacket before he fell down on the bed across the foot send, face first down and snoring. The motion caused a general stirring and protesting and spilled tea.

"Aw, poor baldy." Reno rasped and managed to get free from the double octopus that was Genesis and Zack, crawling down to his partner.

"No! Our heat source!" Genesis coughed. "Get him back up here!"

"It's alright. We can still use him to warm our feet." Sephiroth prodded his toes against Reno who grunted and swatted uselessly at them.

Angeal crossed his arms, glaring at them.

"You should all be ashamed of yourself. Tseng just told me the this virus spreads by sexual contacts. If you could have just kept it in your pants, you wouldn't be in this trouble." Three pairs of mako eyes watched him with sullen shame, fiddling with the blankets and generally avoiding eye contact. "I expect this kind of behavious from them -" he pointed at the heap of red hair and dark skin that was the Turks "- but you are First Class Soldiers! You should know better. I'm tempted to just leave you here and…"

The door opening interrupted his scolding and he almost dropped his jaw as Director Lazard came in, sniffling and coughing and already taking of his clothes.

"Not a word, Angeal," he rasped as he lay down in the midst of his Soliders, who runny nosed but smugly cozied up to him. "And if you'd please change these blankets? There's tea on them."

"And get us some more of that tea and brandy, would you darling?"

"And some more tissues."

"And help me get Rude out of these damn clothes."

"And could you make some chickensoup?"

"Call Cloub," Zack coughed.

"What?"

"Cloub. Cloub!" Zack flapped his arms. "Call Cloub! He probably got it to!"

Angeal gritted his teeth, fisted his hands, and got to work.

The doorbell rang a few minutes later.

"What now?!" Angeal growled as he flung the door open.

Someone sneezed straight at his face. If it hadn't been for the lowered visor of the man's helmet, Angeal doubted even mako reactions would have saved him, but as it was, he feared to find out just what mess was behind that thing.

"Kunsel?" There came a croak for answer and Angeal felt himself give up. Most of all he just wanted to run away, but he couldn't do that. Honour was such a burden sometimes.

The bed was getting crowded, the blonde litte trooper now in the middle getting coddled by Zack and Sephiroth, something that seemed to scare him sensless, Lazard, Rude and Genesis in a somewhat untidy pile and Reno using Kunsel as a pillow. Empty tea cups, dirty bowls of chicken soup and mako-glowing tissue was *everywhere* and seemed to propagate everytime Angeal turned his back.

There was a polite knock at the door. Angeal feared the worse, but it was a very healthy looking Tseng who waited outside for him.

"Mr. Hewley. I just wanted to thank you for the good work you have been doing…and might I add you look quite fetching in an apron?"

"I don't have time to do more laundry," Angeal answered a bit stiffly. "And this frilly thing was all Gen had. Don't tell me you are sick as well?"

"Of course not."

"Well, I'm glad someone in this company can keep their pants on for more than 48 hours."

"Not at all. I just practice safe sex." Tseng didn't even blush. "You'll be glad to hear that this flue is a 24 hour thing. They - " he nodded at the pile "- will be as good as new tomorrow."

"Thank Gods!"

"Feel free if you want to, but I've never felt it necessary. I will see you tomorrow then." He bowed politely - carefully *not* taking Angeal's sticky hand - and left.

"Angeal? Angeal!" A hand shook his shoulder and Angeal cracked open a bleary eye. It revealed Genesis face, concerned, newly washed and looking annoyingly perky. Angeal himself hadn't slept all night; with so many to take care of there was always someone awake and wanting something. He tried to swat the hand away but the motion fell short of its goal. "Are you alright, love?"

The answer started as a 'Yes', but ended in a cough. Gods, his chest was aching!

"He's burning up. Fever." That was Rude, also sounding fresh.

"Poor 'Geal! Help me get him into bed." Puppy, boucy as always.

Strong hands got him up and fumbled his clothes off. Sephiroth helped him down underneath the blankets and he curled up as the shivers took him.

"Here, give him a hot water bottle. He doesn't have the luxury of warming his feet on a Turk." Lazard bedded down something warm and nice by his back. The heat helped the ache and chills a little.

"I'll make some tea. Is there brandy left?" Kunsel hurried away.

It was pretty nice, being coddled like this. Angeal sneezed and muttered, mostly for show:

"I aidn't sick."

"Yeah, right." Reno grinned. "The only question is, who gave it to you, yo?"

Angeal decided he was far too sick to answer that question.


	4. Soldier Trophies

"What's this?" Angeal curiously poked a carved, lacquered box that stood in what could only be called a place of honor in between Genesis' numerous copies of Loveless.

The red-head peeked in to the room and shrugged, holding up a towel around his hips with one hand.

"Oh, that's my trophy shrine. Don't touch it, I'll be right back." Angeal shook his head as his friend hurried towards the bathroom; why Gen insisted on showering *before* sword practice, he'd never know.

"Just hurry up," he called after the retreating back. Genesis might consider showing up late to be fashionable, but to Angeal it was just rude. Not to mention, it pissed of a certain anal-retentive silver haired General to no end and all *that* ever accomplished were that he kicked both their asses around the training room more than normally.

Angeal realized that he was still fingering the box. He frowned at himself. Gen had especially asked him to leave it alone and he shouldn't be touching it. But he couldn't help wondering at the thought of his so civilized friend keeping a box with war trophies. What could it be? Loot from some wutai temple? Cut off enemies' ears? It didn't sound like Genesis at all.

Battling his conscience –and a certain stung pride; Genesis had never kept secrets from him before – Angeal finally gave in to curiosity and opened the box gingerly, not knowing what to expect.

It only took one quick glance to realize that though it certainly contained trophies, they were not from any war.

*Oh. Well, this is a lot more like Gen.*

Smiling a bit against his will, Angeal took up a small vial and opened it. *Rose and vanilla shampoo.* Well, he'd known that Gen and Sephiroth sometimes engaged in 'extra training' after hours. He had no problem with that; it was a long time since he and Genesis had split up as lovers even though they remained best friends. As far as Angeal was concerned, Genesis could sleep with however he wanted. Apparently, Genesis thought the same. The box was stuffed full of little items and Angeal was deeply moved when he found a small replica of his sword, tied with a red ribbon and laying in a silk wrapping. They had been one another's first after all. It was touching to see that he still mattered that much to his friend.

Intrigued he kept rifling through the box. A Turk tie of wutai silk. A blonde lock of hair, soft to touch but remarkably springy, tied with a ribbon and most likely cut without its previous owners approval, and, if he knew Gen, without his knowledge. A sole cufflink with a double insignia of L and D. A pair of sunglasses, one shade broken as if someone had stepped on it. A single sock with a pattern of cats. What appeared to be a chopper ignition key, the loss of which might have caused its owner a lot of anguish unless it belonged to the person Angeal suspected it did. A cigarette, bound to a tea bag. A bullet for a fancy weapon, enameled white. And, rather disturbingly, a piece of white, sturdy cloth that stank of chemicals.

Rifling through the knickknacks, Angeal was mildly impressed. Genesis sure knew how to get some action. Not that he was jealous, of course. Oh, no he had a wonderful warm and in every way satisfying relationship with a certain bouncy Zack Fair, and that youngster had energy enough to keep even a First Class Solider occupied, in bed and out.

What he couldn't understand was why Gen hadn't wanted him to look in the box. Genesis weren't known to be discreet about these kinds of thing after all. His finger slid around something in the very bottom of the box and he pulled it out just as Genesis stepped into the room, drying his hair on the towel.

"Nono!" Aghast, Genesis reached out to stop him, but it was too late. A supple black leather collar dangled from Angeal's finger, the word 'Puppy' embossed in red rhinestones. "You weren't supposed to look in that box!"

Angeal stared at the collar. He turned slowly towards his friend, who was shaking with dread, his eyes huge as he caught the darkening face on Angeal's face.

"Gen…"

"Y-yes?"

"Run."


End file.
